A Sunday morning (4:04am) earthquake rattled residents and has caused seven deaths in Northern Italy. The 6.0 shaker struck the town of Ferrara, about 35km (21mi) north of Bologna, collapsing several buildings and injuring at least 50 people. A 5.1-magnitude aftershock struck Sunday afternoon, triggering the collapse of several structures already weakened, with one firefighter left seriously injured after falling from a wall. Over 100 aftershocks have kept people nervously sleeping outdoors in tents or vehicles. Heavy rains lashed the area, slowing emergency workers but officials were quick to point out that support has come from across Italy. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said Brussels was "ready to provide swiftly any assistance that may be requested." but the The Italian Red Cross, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has determined that external assistance is not required. And in a show of calm, officials opened polls as planned for the second round of local elections in several cities and voting continued on Monday. (to view images, click "Photo" filter on the right)